Nie Huaisang/History
Youth Early Years Nie Huaisang was most likely between the ages of eight and thirteen when his father died. Author InterviewNovel, Chapter 49 He was then raised by his half-brother Nie Mingjue, who strictly looked after his education. Novel, Chapter 13 Nevertheless, Nie Huaisang did not apply his efforts to cultivation, and as a result, he formed a golden core eight to nine years later than the rest of the disciples in his generation. Novel, Chapter 21 Cloud Recesses Nie Huaisang met Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng when they were sent to the Cloud Recesses to learn from the Gusu Lan Sect's Lan Qiren.Novel, Chapter 13 Nie Huaisang frequently assisted Wei Wuxian's mischief, to Jiang Cheng's dismay. Novel, Chapter 15 The three teenagers often snuck alcohol together, and Nie Huaisang supplied his friends with a library of out-of-print pornography. Novel, Chapter 15 Novel, Chapter 18 Tortoise of Slaughter As Nie Huaisang was the current heir to the Qinghe Nie Sect, the Qishan Wen Sect required his presence at their training camp. He presumably had to surrender his saber along with the rest of the disciples, Novel, Chapter 51 and would have been trapped in the cave of the Tortoise of Slaughter during the disastrous night hunt on Dusk Creek Mountain. Novel, Chapter 53 Sunshot Campaign During the Sunshot Campaign, Nie Mingjue sent Nie Huaisang to the Cloud Recesses under Lan Qiren's protection, keeping his little brother away from the front lines. Novel, Chapter 48 Once Nie Huaisang's saber was recovered from the Qishan Wen Sect, Novel, Chapter 61 Nie Mingjue requested that Lan Xichen deliver it to his brother so that he could no longer avoid practicing his saberwork. Novel, Chapter 48 Fall of Wei Wuxian Nie Huaisang was not mentioned to be present at the Bloodbath at Nightless City and, given his poor saber skills, he likely would not have survived if he was. Novel, Chapter 78 His thoughts on the matter are therefore unknown, although his willingness to resurrect Wei Wuxian after thirteen years is evidence that at the very least, Nie Huaisang still highly respected his friend's abilities. Novel, Chapter 109 Death of Nie Mingjue Although Nie Mingjue's temperament began to change due to the power of his saber spirit, he refused to worry Nie Huaisang by telling him of the issue. Novel, Chapter 49 Jin Guangyao visited often to play Song of Clarity to suppress his sworn brother's saber spirit, and frequently brought art and fans as presents for Nie Huaisang as well. However, shortly after the Yueyang Chang Sect massacre and the Lanling Jin Sect's protection of Xue Yang, Nie Mingjue's shortening temper erupted. He ordered Nie Huaisang's art burned, and Jin Guangyao had to hold Nie Huaisang back to prevent him from suffering burns himself. Novel, Chapter 49 At some point in time, Jin Guangyao swapped portions of "Song of Clarity" for pieces from the Collection of Turmoil. Novel, Chapter 64 At a martial arts conference not quite two months after the burning of his art, Nie Mingjue suffered a qi deviation and began killing everyone he hallucinated to be Jin Guangyao. Novel, Chapter 50 Although Nie Huaisang had yet to reconcile with Nie Mingjue over their latest quarrel, he rushed towards his brother, shouting his name until Nie Mingjue finally recognized him. Nie Mingjue collapsed before Nie Huaisang could reach him. Novel, Chapter 50 Leadership and Revenge Nie Huaisang encountered many struggles after inheriting the Qinghe Nie Sect. He was unwilling to cultivate with his saber, lest he also die of a qi deviation, and yet to change his sect's method of cultivation would constitute a betrayal of his ancestors. Novel, Chapter 26 Due to his anxiety and over-reliance on Nie Mingjue's sworn brothers, he became known as the "Headshaker." Novel, Chapter 21 Despite his notorious incompetence, Nie Huaisang did not fail to notice that his brother's body had gone missing. Unfortunately, he was only able to track down a single arm that was beyond his abilities to control, and thus decided to summon the soul of Wei Wuxian to find the remaining pieces. As part of his careful orchestration of Jin Guangyao's downfall, Novel, Chapter 109 Nie Huaisang also uncovered many of Jin Guangyao's crimes other crimes, freed Sisi from her prison and bribed Bicao to come forward with what she knew. Novel, Chapter 86 Mo Village Nie Huaisang sought out the banished Mo Xuanyu, prompting the abused and mentally-ill young man to perform the Sacrificial Ritual he had once read, summoning Wei Wuxian into his body. Novel, Chapter 109 Once the ritual took place, Nie Huaisang tossed his brother's Demonic Left Arm into Mo Village, resulting in the deaths of the Mo family while endangering Lan Jingyi, Lan Sizhui, the newly resurrected Wei Wuxian, and the remainder of the village. The fortunate arrival of Lan Wangji prevented any more bloodshed. Novel, Chapter 109Novel, Chapter 5 Stone Castles While Jin Ling, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji investigated the rumors of "Man-Eating Castles," Jin Ling was nearly swallowed by the walls for breaking one of the castles open. Nie Huaisang came to investigate, only to be summarily attacked by Fairy, who bit out a piece of his clothing as he fled. Lan Wangji went after him, and eventually brought Wei Wuxian to discuss the incident with Nie Huaisang in an inn. Novel, Chapter 23Novel, Chapter 25 Despite having likely met Mo Xuanyu before at Carp Tower, Nie Huaisang showed no recognition, as he already knew Wei Wuxian's true identity. Novel, Chapter 109 He explained the reasons behind the corpses lining the walls of the Stone Castles, and admitted to spreading the rumors of "Man-Eating Castles" to keep grave robbers at bay. Novel, Chapter 26 The next day, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian approached Nie Huaisang as he oversaw repairs to the stone castles. They broke down the repaired wall a second time, realizing that the legs of the demonic left arm's body had been buried in the walls of the stone castle. When Wei Wuxian suggested cutting off the corpses' pants, Nie Huaisang thought For sure, after he died, he would be slapped once on the face by every ancestor in the Qinghe Nie Sect and end up injured so badly that he’d be handicapped even after he reincarnated. Novel, Chapter 27 Fortunately, Lan Wangji used Bichen to slice off their pants, leading them to quickly locate the legs of Nie Mingjue's fierce corpse. Novel, Chapter 27 Yi City Nie Huaisang went to great lengths to lure the junior disciples into Yi City, presumably to blame Jin Guangyao for their likely deaths at the hands of Xue Yang. As Wei Wuxian speculated: The more that could convict Jin Guangyao, the better it was; the more that could lead the cautious villain to make mistakes and leave traces, the better it was; the more that could result in a tragic death of his, the better it was. Novel, Chapter 109'''' Nie Huaisang first targeted Jin Ling, who had arrived at an inn in the Qinghe area. Nie Huaisang nailed a dead black cat to the door of his room, leaving him to discover a pool of blood outside in the morning. Although Jin Ling switched inns several times, a dead cat was nailed to his door every night, and thus he decided to investigate. Novel, Chapter 35Novel, Chapter 109 Meanwhile, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Ouyang Zizhen, and five or sixNovel, Chapter 33 other juniors had been night-hunting nearby in Langya. They first found the head of a cat in their soup during dinner, and then the corpse of a cat in their bedsheets. They, too, began to investigate, and eventually united with Jin Ling.Novel, Chapter 35Novel, Chapter 109 To ensure the junior disciples entered Yi City, Nie Huaisang disguised himself as a hunter from a nearby village. He donned many clothes and a large cap and even sat in the yard of an unaware hunter's home, pretending to prepare his bows and arrows. When the juniors passed by, he provided them clear directions into Yi City. Novel, Chapter 42Novel, Chapter 109 Discussion Conference at Carp Tower Nie Huaisang asked Bicao to inform Qin Su about her true relationship with her husband Jin Guangyao the night before the Discussion Conference, inadvertently resulting in her suicide before many sect leaders. Novel, Chapter 50 Novel, Chapter 87 After Lan Xichen revealed that Nie Mingjue's body had been dismembered and pieced together, the headless body was placed under Nie Huaisang's care. Novel, Chapter 63 Second Siege of the Burial Mounds Nie Huiasang next sent Jin Guangyao a letter listing his crimes, informing him that his secrets would be exposed in seven days. He could either confess and beg forgiveness, or wait for death. Of course, Nie Huaisang knew that Jin Guangyao would never choose either option; his true intention was to weaken Jin Guangyao by prompting impulsive action. Novel, Chapter 106 This impulsive action turned out to be the Second Siege of the Burial Mounds. Nie Huaisang attended without any other cultivator from Qinghe Nie Sect, implying he may have expected some kind of trick. Novel, Chapter 68 Indeed, Jin Guangyao used the Stygian Tiger Seal to control the corpses Novel, Chapter 68 while his accomplice Su She sealed the cultivators' spiritual powers. Novel, Chapter 80 Despite the odds, the cultivators were ultimately saved by the slaughtered members of the Wen remnants, who acted to protect Wei Wuxian, Wen Ning, and Lan Sizhui. Novel, Chapter 82 As the cultivators recovered at Lotus Pier, another portion of Nie Huaisang's plan fell into place: revealing sordid secrets that would destroy Jin Guangyao's reputation beyond repair. Bicao and Sisi arrived to tell their stories: Sisi, of how Jin Guangyao murdered his father Jin Guangshan, and Bicao, how Jin Guangyao had married his own sister. The cultivators present then began to plot Jin Guangyao's overthrow. Novel, Chapter 85 Novel, Chapter 86 Guanyin Temple The next night, Nie Huaisang was captured by Su She as he left Lotus Pier. Novel, Chapter 100 He claimed that he had been out because he received word his brother's body had disappeared again, but given later events, it is implied that he actually released Nie Mingjue's fierce corpse into Yunping to hunt Jin Guangyao. Novel, Chapter 110 Su She brought the "scared unconscious" Nie Huaisang back to the Guanyin Temple as a hostage, prompting a concerned Jin Guangyao to insist he treat Nie Huaisang gently. Novel, Chapter 100 Jin Guangyao resumed his efforts to retrieve his mother's body from the Guanyin Temple before departing to Dongyin. However, aware of how precious Jin Guangyao's mother was to his enemy, Nie Huaisang had already destroyed Meng Shi's body and placed a poisonous trap in her coffin. Novel, Chapter 110 Novel, Chapter 104 Although the poison failed to kill Jin Guangyao, Nie Mingjue's Fierce Corpse finally arrived at the Guanyin Temple. Wen Ning had fought him the entire way to prevent him from killing the children he had initially targeted. As Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen attempted to suppress Nie Mingjue's resentful energy, Nie Huaisang's leg was cut by Su She's sword – perhaps deliberately on Nie Huaisang's part, as Nie Mingjue was still capable of sensing that a relative of his had been hurt. Novel, Chapter 107 Su She died defending Jin Guangyao, and Wei Wuxian ultimately dueted with Lan Wangji to seal Nie Mingjue inside Meng Shi's coffin. Novel, Chapter 108 Although Jin Guangyao was missing one hand and poisoned in the other one, Nie Huaisang still desired his death at the temple. After Lan Xichen administered pain pills to ease Nie Huaisang's apparent hysteria over his leg, he began to treat his sworn brother. Once Lan Xichen turned back to Nie Huaisang to request the pain medication, Nie Huaisang shouted to give the impression that Jin Guangyao was planning to attack Lan Xichen. Novel, Chapter 108 Without a glance, Lan Xichen mortally wounded Jin Guangyao. Novel, Chapter 108 Realizing that Nie Huaisang had planned everything, Jin Guangyao shouted his accusations and mockingly apologized for not noticing his genius in the past. He threw himself onto the coffin sealing Nie Mingjue, breaking the seal. Nie Mingjue's fierce corpse then broke Jin Guangyao's neck before he bled out from the wound his closest friend had administered, fulfilling Nie Huaisang's revenge. Novel, Chapter 108 Lan Xichen repeatedly asked Nie Huaisang if he was certain he had seen Jin Guangyao try to attack him, but Nie Huaisang replied with his catchphrase – that he did not know. Wei Wuxian, however, began to piece together that everything had been Nie Huaisang's plan all along. Novel, Chapter 109 In the aftermath, Nie Huaisang picked up Jin Guangyao's signature hat and took it with him. Novel, Chapter 110 Aftermath Nie Huaisang was noted to have conducted himself with unusual competence at the ceremony to seal the coffin containing both Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao. Wei Wuxian speculated that Nie Huaisang would unveil his true self in the future, Novel, Chapter 113 and author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu has confirmed that Nie Huaisang plans to take over the position of Chief Cultivator. Author Interview Animation Divergence In the Animation, Nie Huaisang was said to cultivate with a fan rather than a saber, while in the Novel, collecting fans was merely a hobby he enjoyed. ANimation, Episode 23 References